Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current ratio of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence against the total number of service personnel; and how this ratio compares with (1) the United States, and (2) France.

Baroness Goldie: The table below details the total number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilians by year from April 2019 - April 2023.As of 1 January 2023, the total of both MOD Civilians full time equivalent (FTE) and military service personnel stood at 213,590, of which 28% (60,288) were civilians.Data for the United States and France is not held by MOD, therefore comparative data is not available.MOD Total Civilians by Year, April 2019 - April 2023, FTE.Year1April 20191 April 20201 April 20211 April 20221 April 2023MIOD Total Civilians57,76058,52360,00559,90360,6451. These figures include all MOD Civilians, including MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas, Trading Fund and Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.2. Figures are full time equivalent (FTE).

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask His Majesty's Government how many civilians have been employed by the Ministry of Defence in each of the past five years.

Baroness Goldie: The table below details the total number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilians by year from April 2019 - April 2023.As of 1 January 2023, the total of both MOD Civilians full time equivalent (FTE) and military service personnel stood at 213,590, of which 28% (60,288) were civilians.Data for the United States and France is not held by MOD, therefore comparative data is not available.MOD Total Civilians by Year, April 2019 - April 2023, FTE.Year1April 20191 April 20201 April 20211 April 20221 April 2023MIOD Total Civilians57,76058,52360,00559,90360,6451. These figures include all MOD Civilians, including MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas, Trading Fund and Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.2. Figures are full time equivalent (FTE).

Treasury

Personal Savings

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have in place to encourage saving.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government whatmeasures they have in placeto encourage banks to pass on higher interest rates to savers.

Baroness Penn: The Government is committed to ensuring people are supported to save, and that they can access a wide range of competitive savings products. The retail savings market currently offers a range of competitive options to savers, who can now access the highest rates in recent years on a variety of instant access and fixed-term products. The Government launched the Help to Save scheme in September 2018 to directly encourage those on lower incomes to save. This encourages saving for those on Working Tax Credit or receiving Universal Credit. These savings accounts provide a bonus of 50p for every £1 saved over 4 years. The Government has also introduced other measures in recent years to encourage saving. Individuals can save up to £20,000 into their ISA each year and coupled with the Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and up to £500 for higher rate taxpayers, around 95% of people with savings income pay no tax on that income. The Lifetime ISA is a long-term savings product to encourage younger people to save for their first home or for later life. The government provides a 25% bonus on savings of up to £4,000 each year, provided the savings are kept for the long-term.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Construction

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government how thenew generation of NHS hospitals being planned or constructed will be insulated; and with whatfuel they will be heated.

Lord Markham: In February 2023, NHS England published its ‘NHS Net Zero Building Standard’. The Standard provides technical guidance on achieving whole life Net Zero carbon including the electrification of heat and energy performance standards for new healthcare buildings and major upgrades. A copy is attached.The National Health Service is committed to having a fully decarbonised estate by 2040. The new hospitals that will be delivered as part of the New Hospital Programme will be developed to meet these wider NHS Net-Zero-Carbon standards and underpinned by the new Standard. This includes a fabric first, highly insulated approach aligned with regulations and building safety requirements. The energy and fuel sources will vary from site to site, but the principles of low-energy and low-carbon are being embedded into each new hospital build.Attachment (pdf, 11473.4KB)

IVF

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord O'Shaughnessy on 6 April 2017 (HL6515), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has been made aware that any child born as a result of mitochondrial donation has (1) a mitochondrial disease, (2) birth defect, (3) genetic abnormality, or (4) any other adverse outcome.

Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it cannot provide the detailed information as requested as it may compromise patient confidentiality.

IVF

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement byLord Kamall on 5 January 2022 (HLWS503), how many patients to date have been licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority as eligible for mitochondrial donation treatment in the UK; how many embryos in total have been produced using (1) pronuclear transfer, and (2) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer; and how many embryos have been transferred to uteri pursuant to (a) pronuclear transfer, and (b) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that 32 patients have been licensed as eligible for mitochondrial donation treatment in the United Kingdom. The following table shows how many embryos have been produced during mitochondrial donation treatment and how many embryos have been transferred to uteri pursuant to clinical application in the UK of (a) pronuclear transfer and (b) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.  Pronuclear transferSpindle-chromosomal complex transferEmbryos produced during mitochondrial donation treatment13170Embryos transferred240Source: HFEANotes:The data is as recorded by the HFEA on 4 June 2023 so these figures reflect the data on this day and are likely to change over time.Embryos produced during mitochondrial donation treatment are calculated as the total number of embryos developed from patient eggs and number of embryos developed from mitochondrial donor eggs.

NHS: Software

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what advice or instructionshave been issued toGP surgeriesthatpatients should use the NHS App to re-order regular medication; and what account is taken of the needs of patients who are not able to use the NHS App.

Lord Markham: No advice has been issued to GPs, but Patients are already able to order repeat prescriptions via the App, with 2.4 million prescriptions ordered in April 2023 alone. Patients unable to use the NHS App can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face to face services.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Cost of Living

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 24 May that "almost 9 in 10 families on Universal Credit cannot afford basic items like food and clothing"; and what steps they are taking to ensure that benefits always cover the cost of essentials.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: No formal assessment has been made.Universal Credit awards are formed of a Standard Allowance, paid according to age and family status, plus help with eligible housing costs, which can then be supplemented with additional elements for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as parents, disabled people, and carers. The rates of benefit are not determined by individuals' living costs and so it is not possible to provide a breakdown of these amounts by reference to separate amounts for specific items of expenditure, such as the TV licence, gas, electricity, and food. The Government firmly believes claimants should be free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in line with their individual needs and preferences. The Government does not consider it appropriate to introduce changes that would prioritise one particular area of household expenditure over the cost of other essential goods and services. To protect the most vulnerable, from April 2023, we increased benefits in line with inflation. This means that they will rise by September Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation – 10.1%.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government why theyhave decided not to proceed with the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Lord Benyon: The animal welfare Bills and regulations we have already passed demonstrate the progress which can be made with single-issue legislation. In light of this, we will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. We remain fully committed to delivering our manifesto commitments.

Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their decision not to proceedwith the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, what plans they have to separately proceed with legislation of any individual parts of the proposed Bill.

Lord Benyon: We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. The Leader of the House will set out parliamentary business in the usual way.

Oak Processionary Moth

Lord Lucas: To ask His Majesty's Government what research they are supporting into the options forintroducing parasites and diseases of oak processionary moth into the UK as an alternative to the use of sprays that kill all lepidoptera larvae.

Lord Benyon: Government is actively supporting research into alternative control methods for Oak Processionary Moth (OPM). This research aims to minimise or avoid the use of chemical sprays that can have negative impacts on other species, and is exploring nature-based management solutions, mating disruption and biopesticides. Research has shown that there are at least five species which parasitise OPM in its natural range abroad. One of these species, Carcelia iliaca, has been naturally established in the UK since 2015, and is found commonly associated with OPM here. Current research is looking at ways to manage habitats to increase populations of C. iliaca and other natural predators.

Bread and Flour: Labelling

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.

Lord Benyon: We received 369 responses to this consultation from a wide range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing those detailed responses, while also discussing with the devolved administrations the best approach to consistent and effective policy implementation across the UK. We expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer, concurrent with any necessary notification to the WTO.

Whales: Conservation

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.

Lord Benyon: The UK remains committed to working with all Parties to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to continue to support the modernisation of the organisation and to ensure it remains the international body for the conservation and management of cetaceans. At the 68th meeting of the IWC, the UK supported the proposal by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary and encouraged all Contracting Governments to support its adoption. We were disappointed that the IWC did not reach agreement to take forward this proposal but will continue to push for the conservation of these unique creatures that play a vital role in our wider ecosystem.

Livestock Worrying

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to support farmers who suffer from livestock worrying.

Lord Benyon: The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications. Section 3 of the Animals Act 1971 provides that anyone who is the keeper of a dog which causes damage by killing or injuring livestock will be liable for that damage. Furthermore, farmers can obtain and claim on their insurance in relation to losses incurred as a result of livestock worrying incidents. As highlighted in our 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we look forward to progressing the delivery of additional measures to tackle livestock worrying soon.

Animal Welfare

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional piecesof animal welfare legislation they are planning to introduce, other than those pieces of legislation whose passage has already commenced.

Lord Benyon: As outlined in our 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government has an ambitious agenda for animal welfare and conservation reforms, which we plan to take forward during the current Parliamentary session and beyond. We will continue to introduce and support legislative and non-legislative reforms when we can. We will be taking forward measures from the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. These measures include three manifesto commitments, which we remain fully committed to delivering.

Beef: Imports

Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Benyon on 27 April (HL7223), whether they will now answer the questions asked.

Lord Benyon: As set out in our previous response, the UK has a robust process in place to ensure that prohibited medicinal products are not used during the production of meat imported into the UK. This includes the use of hormone implants.

Northern Ireland Office

Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) was the budget for this financial year, and (2) are the proposed costs for next financial year, in the proposed implementation of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.

Lord Caine: Consistent with the commitments made in New Decade, New Approach, the public authorities that have been established by the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 will be arms length bodies of Northern Ireland departments. The Northern Ireland Office has not established a budget for the day-to-day running of those public authorities, as it will be a matter for Northern Ireland departments to oversee and fund their operation. My Department is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the new authorities to support the Act’s implementation, and the completion of the New Decade, New Approach commitments on which it delivers.

Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the expenditure to date ofimplementing the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022.

Lord Caine: The first set of commencement regulations for the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 were made on 22 May 2023. There has been no expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office on the implementation of the Act since it was commenced.